Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau joined advocates Thursday in urging his legislative colleagues to set aside money for cost-of-living adjustments for direct care workers.
With the state facing a Medicaid funding shortfall, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills proposed eliminating a planned 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for direct care personnel who work in nursing homes, group homes and other healthcare settings. The change would have saved an estimated $84 million.
In the spring, the Democratic-controlled Legislature included a 1.95% pay increase for direct care workers in a baseline budget for the coming two years. But legislative budget writers are now working on a second budget plan that is expected to be presented to the full Legislature in the next two weeks. And advocates said fully-funding the pay increases is needed to help those workers and help facilities compete for and retain workers who can earn significantly more money doing less demanding jobs.
Fecteau, D-Biddeford, pointed to estimates that Maine already needs more than 2,000 full-time direct care workers to meet demand.
"Keeping wages and benefits flat will only exacerbate the shortage, strain our hospitals and long-term care facilities, and further endanger public health," he said during a press conference organized by the Maine Center for Economic Policy, a left-leaning policy group. "I appreciate the bipartisan support I have had from my legislative colleagues on this issue, including from Rep. Poirier, who knows first-hand the challenges that workers are facing."
Poirier, R-Skowhegan, coordinates services for adults with intellectual disabilities and autism at the nonprofit Living Innovations.
"Restoring COLAs in the budget ensures that we keep the direct care workforce to provide vital, daily services so that individuals can continue to live with dignity, independence and opportunity," Poirier said.
Shawna Ferris, a direct support professional from Mattawamkeag who works with individuals with intellectual disabilities, said she picks up extra shifts every weekend but still struggles to buy the basic necessities for her family of five. Ferris said her colleagues build relationships with the people they care for and when those workers leave the field, it impacts the people in their care.
"Don't just talk about how important this work is: show us," Ferris said. "Invest in the people who care for some of Maine's most vulnerable residents. We are skilled, we are dedicated and we are exhausted from being underpaid and overlooked."
The governor's office said in a statement that the Mills administration understands the frustrations of workers but that the state is facing multiple financial challenges. MaineCare, which is the state's Medicaid program, was short $118 million in the current fiscal year and faces shortfalls in future years as well. Those challenges are compounded, Mills' office said, by the Trump administration's proposals in his "big beautiful bill" to cut federal support to states for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
Nearly one-third of Maine residents are on MaineCare — a figure that has grown steadily in recent years.
"The bill would threaten coverage for an estimated 51,000 Mainers, including low-income workers, older adults, and children with complex medical needs," the governor's office said. "Given this environment, Governor Mills continues to strongly urge Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature to work together to make the tough choices that are needed to ensure programs that keep Maine people healthy, our school children fed, our communities safe, and provide access to education and good-paying jobs are maintained in the years to come."
Republican state lawmakers contend the program's enrollment is financially unsustainable and have been pushing — unsuccessfully, to this point — to narrow eligibility requirements for the program. Republican
Asked about the budget realities, Fecteau acknowledged that "these are challenging times" but said supporting direct care workers is critically important to the state. Fecteau said he has spoken with Mills about this and other budget issues but said funding decisions are in the Legislature's hands right now.
the issue of COLAs for direct care workers is a top issue to him as those budget negotiations continue.
"f we were to find a way forward here, I think the governor would back it," Fecteau said. "She can speak for herself, of course, but that's my prognosis."
The Legislature is working toward adjourning the 2025 session by June 18.
